“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…” – First Amendment”

Greencastle, PA – The Greencastle-Antrim School Board apparently has a problem with the United States Constitution. Mr. Ernest Perce V, acting initially as the Pennsylvania State Director for American Atheists, Inc. and a long-time (and s0metimes controversial) activist in Pennsylvania, had received multiple complaints about inappropriate prayers being recited at school board meetings. In fact, Mr. Perce had personally attended one of these meetings to verify these complaints. He had personally witnessed the recital of “The Lord’s Prayer” by the Board. The prayer had been recited after the meeting had already convened. As well, not only did the Board invoke the prayer,

But they led it, as well…

In a letter to the Greencastle-Antrim School Board, Mr. Perce asked the School Board to keep their sectarian prayers to non-official times. Here is a link to the PDF file of the letter.

Mr. Perce’s request that they exercise their religious freedoms without encroaching the Constitution went summarily ignored. Mr. Perce returned with Mr. Carl Silverman, who was representing the Pennsylvania Non-Believers. Mr. Silverman and Mr. Perce addressed the Board regarding the issue, explaining the details of the problem. Ironically, this was done after the board recited the prayer. The entirety of the event was captured on video, and you can see there was no animosity, no anger, just an explanation of what the Constitution says, and the possible ramifications against the School Board if the prayers continue.

As I understand it, these prayers are done DURING the meeting, at the beginning, and on several occasions the prayer was LED by members of the school board. On the contrary, mate, atheists and others are not wrong on this one.

Now if they did a prayer before the meeting, for themselves and any that wished to join them, huddled in the front, exercising their freedom of religion…well, that’s another story. I certainly wouldn’t object to that, beyond finding it sad that grown men and women need the comfort of their illusions before conducting a school board meeting.

I was wondering if the kids want to pray in school or not. Frankly, if a kid wants to pray they should be able to do it on their own whenever they want to – in a private space- usually in their own head. If a kid wants to take thirty seconds during history class to privately say a prayer, who would know anyway. (It could be their little secret as if they are wearing a tampon or something.) Chances are, very little attention would be lost. After all, everyone daydreams even a little bit. Back when I was a kid decades ago, there was no prayer in school and I’m glad that there was not. Although I was Catholic, I was not fond of formal prayers. Most of my praying was more like a brief conversation.

Why must these adults try to force feed the form of prayer or when it should occur? It mandates that a child must have a formal spiritual view rather than allowing the freedom of their choice. If a Muslim kid needs a room to pray in private, OK. If a Pagan kid wants a room to dance in, OK. If a kid wants to write in a journal, OK. This is what people do when they become adults. No time of prayer is set aside during my work schedule. If I was relgious, I would need to find a way to work prayer or reflection in – not my employers. I do not see why they think they need to hand hold a kid dictating their spiritual expression – even if it is a set aside time for moment of silence (other than the loss of a human life.)

With this being said, I realize the issue is prayer at a school board meetings. I wonder if they have these at board meetings for the company I work for? 😉 Why is it that government and schools are the least progressive in many ways when they should actually be the most progressive?

There’s nothing better than an issue like prayer in public schools for bringing out the “plethora”of Constitutional Law ” neophyte -know-it alls”!

The purpose of ANY responsible judiciary branch ANYWHERE is to interpret and reinterpret the written lawin view of fact situations which more than occasionally reflect the changing societal times.

Heck, even the present day take on the Non-Constitutional phrase “All Men are Created Equal” isn’tthe same as in the Colonial days, when it was penned. What percentage of today’s Americans trulyfiguratively, “smilingly”, MINDLESSLY, gloss over the word “Men” in that phrase? Why not, “All People are Created Equal”?

The answer’s obvious. The founding fathers collective take on the word “Men” was much more literalin their collective mindset, than in the mindset of today’s American. They didn’t mean Blacks, Women,Non-Property holders, etc,etc,etc.

But the figurative “cast” or “tint” of the word “Men” in that phrase just keeps on “sliding through” in themind of the average American, and has since our Country’s inception.

That difference in mindset is what the Blood, Sweat, and Tears of the last 236 years of U.S. history areabout.

That’s why the Law is a living, breathing thing, and why Law School students who become Judges don’t spend 3 years studying merely studying written statutes and ordinances.

And that’s why the intelligent ones have little time for the “armchair justices” that you see in this video.

The threats of physical violence show how they were raised to deal with their problems. When you have no good argument, threaten violence. There is no other avenue for empty arguments to succeed, they can only succeed through violence.

It used to be a bit of a pip to get the first post on a discussion board. Particularly on the site format before the last…pre-four years ago. Posters would even comment on the fact that they had got the first post like it was some kind of race. Basically, the inference is that I had just made a flippant comment that had no interest factor to other readers, just to get the first comment. It wasn’t the case, but it doesn’t matter, it is just a bit of banter, a vestige from the sort of craic that used to occur here. Enough of the off topic now.

A quick Google and it appears that the US Greencastle may have got its name from my Greencastle, ya learn something everyday.

Greencastle was founded in 1782 by John Allison. The town was named either after a small town in County Donegal, Ireland, a suburb of Belfast of the same name in County Antrim, or Greencastle, County Down or possible in consideration of all as the local area has place names of both County Antrim and County Donegal and was settled by Scotch-Irish settlers. It was originally composed of 246 lots. By 1790 there were about sixty houses in Greencastle, homes to approximately 400 people. The town of Greencastle had grown by the mid-nineteenth century to 1,125 residents.

Given the Antrim connection too, I’d say my Greencastle looks like the favourite for the inspiration.

It seems it was a the preferred place of refuge when the Mormons blew up after Smiths demise, when Junior took his followers, Rigdonite Mormon’s, to the settlement at Greencastle.

I am appalled. These are Christians? What a bunch of arrogant, narrow minded, bigoted, deluded, intolerant, dogmatic, hateful retards? This is what you get when you allow stealthy, cunning, underhand and politically motivated indoctrination of the unintelligent masses. The USA will be a third world country before long. A once great nation sliding into oblivion.

Did anyone else notice how the bookshelves in this library were half empty? Is it because that when you know all the answers come from one book there is no need to read any others?On the main issue; I don’t think I’ve ever heard so much sanctimonious bullshit compressed into 35 minutes and these were people who thought that they were being reasonable. What was very depressing was that this was all going on in Pennsylvania, the home of those first continental congress assemblies and not in some mid-western Hicksville.It makes me despair of mankind . Thank the spaghetti monster that this bunch of hicks were just too wimpish to make their outrage and offence as physical as their brothers in delusion in Libya, Eygpt, …. etc.

I had a family member just return from a Scandanavian country which was for the most part secular. She said I’d love it. There was a group sitting around in a bar having a few beers singing and raising their glasses to the memory of Charles Darwin! Yep I could handle that, someone who has actually contributed to our knowledge of how the world works and who is worthy of a toast!

Sorry, but you’re incorrect. The establishment clause means that if a government entity (a public school in this case) promotes prayer activities based on a religion (which by definition a prayer is), it has established that religion as part of it’s policy & procedure. The freedom clause means you as an individual, or groups on their own accord (ie not on behalf of a government entity) may worship in any manner you please. That is the difference.

Great job videoing the “dim bulb” brigade! It must have been difficult to hold the camera still, considering the hostile environment. One bit of advice though. Please leave your text comments on the screen longer. A few of us old folks need more time to read them. Also, causing the text to wave around in the video makes them harder to read.